India has one of the highest prevalence of mental illness globally. Studies show that roughly 14% of the population in India require active mental health interventions. India accounts for 36.6% of suicides globally. A student commits suicide every hour in India. The sheer dearth of experts in the country is astounding. There are 3 psychiatrists for every 1 million people. Mental health issue in India is perceived with a sense of judgement is considered a lack of self-discipline. The deep stigma associated around mental health contributes to denial and many young people do not seek help due to characteristic fears. Striving to contain the pandemic has led to a major health crisis in India with prolonged quarantines and restrictions on public life. These have had adverse consequences on the mental well being of of people. Fear, stress, automatic negative thoughts, social isolation have been observed to be on the rise. Studies show that number of people having mental health problems in India may rise to 20% of the population because of the pandemic. The need to actively foster awareness about mental health has been more important now than ever before. To contribute towards raising awareness, I wish to support the MANAV foundation who aim to change the perception on mental illness through outreach and awareness programs.